A day that changed my life
by PersonWriter8571
Summary: Amelia's lived in care all her life. Her best friend is killed in a motor bike accident. She struggles to cope and as a result she is moved to a new care home in New York City. Her path then crosses with an likely hero when she is attacked on a backstreet. These events will change her life, but how?
1. Prologue:The incident

_Prologue_

_Hi_

_I'm Amelia, I'm 14 and I've lived in care ever since my I was found as a baby in an alley.  
I wouldn't describe myself as overly pretty but I'm not 'ugly'. MY hair's sort of like a blacky brown colour though I'm thinking of streaking it blue. I'm tall for my age and sort of thin but I guess that's because I'm still getting over anorexia. Not the best years of my life but I live in a care home so it's not going to be the typical life of a teenage.  
_

_ It's not so bad, I have a 'brother' type figure called Josh. He's 16 with dark eyes and handsome hair and he's really protective of me even though he taught me to ride his motor bike and lets be ride on the back._

Location: Local Motor Track

_"Come on Josh, hurry up or we're going to be late!" I yelled as I pulled him by his hand towards the stands in front of the track._

_Josh just laughed and jogged to catch with me in the large gathering of people crowding outside waiting for the gates to open so they could rush to get a decent seat at the front. Luckily for me and Josh, anyone with an under 16 could go in first. As the people started to gather Josh grabbed my by the arm which made me jump and started to take me to the front of the queue where he flashed our tickets to the guy on the gate and we went to find a seat near the front._

_By the time we had found a decent seat, and had everything we needed almost everyone else had crowded onto the stands and surrounding area. And a good things to, because just as they closed the gate the show began. I love spending days like this with friends out doing something that's going to be messy and probably get us into trouble considering we only just managed to persuade our carers to let us go but oh well. _

_It's so worth it!_

_Just as the races were getting underway I noticed a large crowd gathering near the stand. Most of the people there were girls around my age. I'd never seen so many teenage girls here before so something special had to be going on._

_"What the hell's going on with all the girls?" I shouted above all the noise to a very distracted Josh_

_"Oh wow! Look at that beauty, I'd love one of those when I get my licence but I bet it costs a bomb and then you have to pay tax and petrol. Maybe when I go off the Uni if I can affor-" he was muttering to himself_

_"JOSH! FOCUS HERE, I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"_

_"Right, yes, I knew that. Um...It's that singer guy that you like, didn't you know he was coming here today? It's on all the posters. Didn't you see Em?" ~ My names really Amelia but he calls be Em or Emily_

_"Oh my God! Hold my bag, I'm gonna see if I can get a picture"_

_Before he could protest, I had hurried off with my camera, not that Josh would notice, his eyes were practically glued to the track along with pretty much everyone else in the stand. Just as I got to the bottom of the stairs the crowd started to move away from me forcing to jog to try and catch up to the ever growing group of obsessing girls. I was a good 10/15 meters away when suddenly there was a lot of screaming and running._

_"IT'S GONNA HIT THE STAND!" was the first scream I heard from a nearby crew member._

_I turned round to see what had happened and by the looks of this a racer had lost control of his bike and was struggling to steer it back on course. He was heading right for where Josh and I had been sitting Before I could stop myself I was sprinting as fast as I could through the mass of people heading in the other direction but before I could even get close to the stand there was a loud CRASH followed by a small explosion and a lot of screaming most of it from people who had been injured in some sort of way. Even though I hadn't been close to the seats but the force of the explosion had knocked me off my feet and some debris must have hit me in the face because I could feel blood running down my temple._

_"JOSH!" I screamed, almost hysterical. But before I could run to the blazing seats that were already being dealt with, a crew member I knew to be Max had grabbed me and was holding me back trying comfort me._

_"Sh Sh, it's fine, I'm sure he's fine. J's a smart boy, Em. I'm sure he would have moved" He said, cradling me in his arms._

_"But...he...wasn't...I..saw..him...just...before the...crash...in...the...stands...I know...he's DEAD!" I sobbed into Max's shirt._

_Just as the ambulance arrived, a medic took me away to look at the cut on my temple which turned out to be pretty deep and need stitches. Just as I was being led away with a blanket being draped around me, I saw Josh being taken away on a stretcher, I could already tell he was dead just by the way he lay. I just started sobbing and I would have collapsed if Max hadn't been there to catch me. This was it, my world had come crashing down on a day I thought I wasn't going to forget. Now I'm never going to remember anything good about this day. Let alone forget it._

_The funeral was a week later. I couldn't stop crying throughout the whole thing no matter how much people tried. I ended up being taken outside to calm down which was a bit awkward but I didn't and still don't care. I can't imagine doing anything with my life, not now not ever._

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**Author's note:**

**This is my first story but review as you please. If there's something wrong tell me how to improve and etc. I will try to update at least once a week sometimes more. If you have any ideas don't be afraid to PM me with them.**

**Hope you enjoy**


	2. Tantrum and a Stranger

Location: London Airport - 2 weeks after the incident

"Flight 483 to Manhattan, New York, is now boarding at gate K. Departure in 15 minutes." announced the monotone voice over the intercom, sealing my future.

I sighed as my escort walked over with my suitcase and signaled for me to make my way to the gate and get on the plane. I nodded and pulled my earphones out and put them in my bag then pulling out my boarding pass and passport. Time to start my new life, I guess. I lowered my head as a warm a tear rolled down my cheek; I wiped it away before anyone could notice or before I broke down in front of everyone at the terminal. A hand on my shoulder made me almost jump out of my skin. To my relief it was just my escort.

"I know it's hard, everything that's happening", he whispered in my ear, "But you need to go now and make a fresh start. It's for the best. For everyone. It's a new life in a new place which you need. You can make new friends and maybe get a new family."

"It-it's so hard. I watched my best friend die and now your just going to throw me to whoever because you think it's 'for the best'. There is little chance of anyone wanting to adopt someone like me, it's hopeless, impossible. I'm just a messed up bitch with nothing left to live for and your just gonna sling me to the highest bidder. It's all _BULLSHIT!"_

I took no notice of everyone around me staring for cursing so loud especially the mother who had covered her sons ears and was slowly shaking her head. I just turned to face her.

"YEAH, WELL FUCK YOU LADY!" I yelled in her face before grabbing my bag and storming off towards the gate smiling to myself. If I was gonna go out, I was gonna go out in style. _CHECK!_

Still smiling as I reached the gate, I flashed my ticket and passport before walking onto the plane and looking around for my seat. Row C seat 43, close to the front with decent people not squashed between two fatties who can barely stand with some little shitty kid kicking the chair behind me. Hell no, that was not going to happen, I would rather sail to New York on the Titanic than be stuck in that situation. My seat were pretty good, I mean, I had a window seat and an eye mask but they weren't first class and the food was sure the be absolute crap unless some miracle were to happen like the usual chef dies and gets replaced with a 5 star chef. As the plane started to fill up, I noticed a man sitting across the aisle from me. He had sort of blonde-y brown-y hair, glasses and really nice eyes. Dresses smart but casual, I noticed something on his belt, at first glance it looked like a buckle but with further inspection it was an NYPD badge and come to think about it he was in the departures lounge when I had my little 'tantrum'.I dug my headphones out and plugged them in, even though a flight crew member shot me a look for not getting those headphones that hundreds other before me have used. _'Do not freak out, he didn't hear you earlier', _I kept thinking, trying not to panic. Glancing around I saw that I was the only under 18 to be seating this close to the front. Just as the last person boarded and sat down, the doors closed making me settle down more into the seat, turn up my music and shut my eyes, I already had the promise from the kind elderly woman next to me that she would wake me up when food comes around, that was after she had made a comment saying that I was all skin and bones, and I needed a good meal.

It was roughly 9 am (UK time) when the plane took off after that I watched some of the film which was quite strange and happened to feature a character called Emily (how coincidental). Sleep took about 5 minutes after I stopped watching the film and started listening to music again. After what felt like 3 seconds but turned out to be 3 hours, I was woken to an actually decent, non-greasy meal of Shepard's Pie with bread and butter and for dessert a mini white chocolate cheesecake in a pot. As far as I've heard for any meal on a plane that's actually a pretty good deal. After lunch, I decided to read the riddle book that I bought in one of the shops with the last of my English money, the rest has been changed up into dollars to make everything easier for when the plane lands.  
I was about halfway through my book when the old lady next to me got up and finally made her way to the toilet. I don't blame her for holding it though. Just as I was getting back into my book, I heard a cough from behind me to my surprise it was the cop. I'm so screwed! Just hopefully I'll get a 'stern talking to' about why you don't scream swear words in someone's face when they have a 5 year old on their lap.

"That was er, quite a show you put on back there", he half laughed in his surprisingly strong, New York accent.

"Yeah, well. If you knew why then you wouldn't think it so funny", I replied, smiling but stopping when I thought about how funny Josh would have found all this.

"You're right, I don't know. But a problem shared is a problem halved" was his quick reply

"I'm not going to divulge my past to some stranger, even if he is a cop"

"Ah, we have a smart one but actually I'm a with the NYPD Crime Lab, not a traditional cop. But I'm surprised. No one around me has noticed my badge and yet a 13-"

"14!"

"Sorry, 14! Year old girl who flew from London to Manhattan by HERSELF, noticed it from across the aisle. We could use a few more like you" he joked.

"Maybe in a few years time", I joked back.

"Well if you change your mind or just need a chat, you know where I'm sitting"

And with a flash of that cheesy American smile he was back in his seat but I had a feeling I wouldn't be seeing the last of this devishly handsome, kind hearted mystery cop.

The plane touched down at roughly 3:00 am local time (PM in England but from now on it's time in New York), so it was still very dark and until I got to the arrivals lounge where I would be met by the head carer in my new home, I was pretty much alone but I was fine. When I collected my boarding pass, I'd also been given a special card thing to wear round my neck which meant although my stuff had to be checked, customs couldn't pull me to the side because I was without a responsible adult, well unless you count a 10 minute conversation with a stranger on the plane making him a safe guardian then I was by myself.

I whizzed through security and headed straight through to arrivals where I was met with the most heart warming sight. The cop, was with his daughter and wife. He was so happy and he picked up his daughter and gave her the biggest hug ever. I could do nothing but smile at this demonstration of love, he clearly saw me out of the corner of his eye because he turned to face me with a love-felt grin plastered across his face like it had never left, waved and then walked off with his wife hot on his heels sporting the same smile as his. I couldn't stop myself from waving back.

"God bless America" I muttered, "Now let's hope you can bless me"

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**Author's notes:**

**Thanks to everyone who has read it, hope you have enjoyed so far, hoping to get another chapter up soon. Aiming for them to be long so if you don't like then don't read. Sorry about the swearing but you are warned at the start.**

**Thanks Nanda for reviewing my prologue!**

**Please review! I don't mind if it's positive or negative.**


	3. Crowded

Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York

As soon as my new escort and I were outside the airport, she handed me all of the documents I would need including a small piece of paper with the address of my new home on it and sufficient fair for a taxi, after that she simply nodded and walked away leaving me to manage by myself, which I hoped I would be able to. As soon as she was out of my sight I hailed a cab with a quick whistle and the yell of "TAXI" at the top of my lungs which attracted a few peculiar stares from passers by who must have thought that my accent was way out of place. 'What you looking at?', was my first thought but then I finally caught the attention of a cab driver and ran over to him handing him the money and paper, then throwing my luggage in the boot (trunk now I guess) and 'jumping' into the back maybe a little too enthusiastically.

Driving through the city, looking around, there's so much to take in, nothing is as I imagined. First of all, New York City is WAY busier than you see on all the TV shows and films. The noise is almost unbearable and the people: there's so many people. Crowding round street venders trying to buy a snack, pushing and shoving as they cross the roads, streets packed with people; young, old, tall, short, fat, thin, tourists, locals. Even at 3 in the morning this place is crawling with everyone, it's ridiculous.

'I wonder how I'm going to fit in with all of them', letting my mind wonder as I looked around, taking in all the new scents and sounds, imagining what all the food would taste like, what my new life would be like, if my look would change, if I would make any friends, what my new school would be like, and the biggest question of all: would I get adopted? Basically trying to imagine what's going to happen to me as I pretty much restart right from the beginning, I mean, I've been in care for as long as I can remember, moving from one place to another. One moment I'm settling down in someone's house finally thinking that I can have a real life with a decent family and feeling safe and loved but nope, I always find some way to fuck it all up and get dumped back at the care home, made to suffer for weeks maybe months by anyone older than me with names and comments here and there, the odd push or shove every now and again and if they thought that they'd get away with it, someone always had to pick a fight. I suppose that's what made me toughen up more. Inside I'm still a wreck but I'm able to hide it with a tough 'layer' to hide any feeling that makes me look weak and/or vulnerable. Hell no. Not gonna happen. But now I'm in a place like this, I can work out properly in a gym, start dancing properly, maybe even get a part time job. Now I can start my life properly. NYC; the city of dreams.

As I drifted back into reality, the taxi finally pulled up to a large white house with one hell of a garden. I couldn't help but stare, open mouthed, taking in the sight of what was going to be possible one of the best places that I have ever lived in. Please may it be good. The driver turned round to look at me with a slight smile and a glint in his eyes that said '_good luck kid_'. Getting out of the taxi, I went way to fast and ended falling over and whacking my arm in the concrete street. Totally smart!  
Just as I was hauling my luggage out of the 'trunk' of the taxi, the front door of the house opened which turned out to be called 'Shadow House'. Kinda creepy but yet again, creepy is the new cool: well in my opinion anyway. The taxi sped off behind me, ready to face another busy day as I opened the old, squeaky gate. The path was relatively new but it was covered in muddy footprints and a few large cracks appeared here and there but other than that, so garden was pretty good. For as far as I could see there was a large oak tree with a low hanging branch which had been creatively turned into some big-ass swing using an old tire and some rope. There was also a rope ladder round the other side which led up to a pink tree house which probably used by the younger children and I definitely wasn't going to use it unless I was with someone else or maybe vandalizing it seeing as I was going to be here a while, so I may as well get myself a reputation because there's no way I want a good reputation. I am DONE with being the weak helpless goody to shoes. It's time to tighten the laces on these boots, load the gun and kick to some New York ass. Moving my gaze from the garden to the house, it looked a hell of a lot smaller in the car, hopefully I'll have my own room and I can decorate it how I please. Well I'm going to anyway whether they like it or not, so what does it matter?  
The house was a nice creamy colour and looked considerably cleaner than the path. The windows were all modern PVC and freshly clean, the windows were mostly open. Basically, Shadow House didn't look all that bad; the thing that stood put most for me though was the door. It was a big wooden one. Old fashioned, REALLY old fashioned. It even had one of those huge metal knockers, like seriously?  
So you've got modern, well everything but you have some huge door that's really old. Yet again, I suppose with a city like this, there's not much left that's original and that door definitely looks it hasn't been replaced, maybe had a bit of work done but other than that it must be centuries old. Right, I need to stop obsessing over a door and actually knock on it!

Just as a suspected there was a doorbell but there was no way I was going to use it, for as long as I can, I'm going to use this awesome knocker. It was definitely heavy but I managed; it was load and creaked every time you lifted it. _THUD THUD THUD_. I really wasn't expecting the door to open almost immediately, double creepy. The woman who answered it HAD to be someone who worked there. She was really tall, yet again I'm quite tall for my age, and her hair was cut neatly at her jaw with a neat full fringe or 'bangs' as I had heard some people call it. She was very pretty and particularly youthful. I would hazard a guess at about 25/26. Her simple jeans and T-shirt were suitable for a late night at the office although maybe next time she could probably get a larger size because those jeans were skinny in ALL the wrong places. Her make-up was maybe a 'little' excessive, maybe lay of the foundation AND the spray tan, damn I've seen oranges with less colour than her face, and those trainers, they were the sort of sports trainers you'd see a teenage wear in fact...

I looked down at my trainers...

Rolling my eyes I cursed under my breath, how coincidental if you believe in such things, she's wearing the same purple and green Nike trainers. I'd have asked god but I gave up with him after the funeral. If there was a God then clearly I didn't fit in with his perfect vision because ever since my birth I pretty much been rejected by everyone and everything, yet again I don't blame them. Moving back to this hound of a woman, she looked at me with a crazy sort of smile and if given the chance she would have jumped on me. Am I sure I'm in the right place?

"Hello, hello. Welcome, please, don't just stand there dilly dallying in the doorway collecting dust. You must be hungry, we've got some hot dogs".

"I'm good thanks, I ate on the plane. Sorry" I replied making her droop a little but I didn't really take much notice. I was way too busy taking in the house. It was so cool. There were old wooden staircases and wooden beams running across the ceiling. The walls were a pastel green colour which looked great. The doors were all different colours and out of the corner of my eye I could see the kitchen which was joint with the living room which happened to be filled with the older kids, the younger ones must have been in bed especially considering the time.

'Time to introduce the new kid', I thought.

Setting my suitcase down by the stairs towards the others with the care worker hot on my heels. I kept my head down as much a possible a knocked quietly on the door making everyone who was watching TV snap their heads round to face me.

"It's the new girl!" Some yelled, and instantly everyone was crowding towards me asking me questions. Panicking, I looked around for the closest way out, I could see much so I ran back the way I came and out of the still open front and halfway down the road coming to stop outside a park and sitting on the waist-high brick wall outside it. Firstly I had to calm myself down before I passed out; that would not be good. Not good at all. Once I had calmed my breathing down , I pulled out a picture which I always kept in my back pocket of Josh and I on my 13th birthday. I turned it over and noticed something I had never seen before, in the corner were the words 'great times even greater memories - Josh'. For some reason this made me laugh more than anything else. I suppose his words were right but I they seem so familiar.

Sometime between when I had sat down and now someone had sat down on the wall next to me and waited for the perfect time to talk to me. Clearly seeing now as being that time they had caught my attention and even though I could hear them talking I wasn't really listening. Even when they had waved a had in front of my face I ignored them, my eyes were fixed on the note that had neatly scrawled in the corner in one of some of the only memories of what life had been like when I had lived in England. Flipping the photo over again I studied every detail of it trying to remember as much of that day as possible but there really wasn't much I could remember. Only that we had snuck out to the local woods where Josh had a surprise picnic waiting for me at our secret hiding spot by the river. We didn't even get into much trouble when we got back, I suppose it was because it was my birthday - the next day I got yelled at so much that even my music a it's loudest couldn't get rid of the ringing noise in my ears, even though I was born half deaf, something that most people don't know. People don't know a lot about me, I've always kept myself to myself and I plan on doing the same here no matter who asks what.

I was brought back out of my own world by someone putting their hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright Amelia?" Whispered the voice of a girl who was about a year older than me. She kind of looked like this actress that I'm a huge fan of but I can't remember her name to save my life. When I looked at her, threatened to spill but I took a deep breath and just tried to focus on her face. The girls face was kind and loving like the big sister I never had. Her eyes were the perfect shade of green and her skin was pale with freckles dotted across her nose. Her hair was a fiery red and curly, but it was swept round onto her shoulder, her short side fringe resting peacefully clipped in place out of her face.

"It's Emily, and I'm fine. It just got a little crowded, like really crowded", my voice rang out against the cold night air, Signing shakily I saw my misty breath cloud in front of my face then disappear into the cold dark sky. Only now did I notice how cold it was outside, like really cold. I was shivering and if we had been back in London I would be looking for the nearest place to shelter or buy a hot drink.

Pulling myself up heavily, I dragged myself down the road not bothering to wait for the girl to catch up with me. As soon as I reached the front door I stood on the step waiting for the older girl to walk into the hall then slamming the door maybe a little harder than I had intended to. The loud sound echoed through the house but it seemed as if everyone had given up and gone to bed, I grabbed my stuff and dragged it upstairs, not really caring how much noise I made, and found an empty bedroom with my name written on a piece of paper that had been taped to the door for some time. I threw my bags into the corner jumped onto the bed curling up in the soft fluffy blankets that had been layed out on the bed. Time to get some shut eye.

And with that I shut my eyes for one of the shortest sleeps possible.

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**Authors notes:**

**Sorry it's really late but I've been really busy with school stuff etc and I haven't really had time to update, hopefully my chapters are gonna start being longer, keep reading, there's an 'event' coming up in the near future. :D**

**Thanks Nanda for reviewing my chapters so far :D, Boy do I have plans for them yet *Smiles mischievously* Oh the things I could do *rubs hands together evilly***

**Kidding, I have plans that I intend to stick to**


	4. Diary Entry

_Dear Diary,_

_I've been here for about 5/6 days now (I'm already losing track) and I do have to admit, once I got over my initial fears and anxieties, it's not so bad. I'm fully unpacked and this Saturday I'm taking my first trip to the 'mall' for an all round shopping spree because let's face it, most of my clothes are old, faded jeans and ripped baggy t-shirts which are not as fashionable here as they were in Britain.  
Also, I'm taking up dance now, call me girly but I'm giving ballet a go. Not full on nutcracker but more modern; I'm going to start off at the bottom and work my way up to the top. It goes great with my running which I still aim to keep up._

_Now days I spend most of my time reading and playing on the piano in the living room, which I managed to find some sheet music. I haven't played properly in ages and it felt good to finally be able to show that I'm good for a lot more than the others think. Surprisingly, a lot of the younger ones think quite high of me, probably because I'm quite soft towards them even though I really am, but also because unlike most people my age here, I don't spend every second on my phone or in my room, however it did take me a day or two to properly come out of my shell; it's pretty scary here. I mean a brother and sister have recently nearly been thrown in jail for beating someone half to death. If that's not scary then I don't know what is._

_School will be starting tomorrow, I'm scared shitless! I've managed to dig out a week's worth of decent clothes which I can wear as well as my messenger bag which I've decorated with as many pins and badges as I can fit on there. I reckon there's about 30 on the top flap and 10 on each side of the shoulder strap, most of them being to do with my favourite TV shows and Films. Which is another thing I'm looking forward to, going to the 'theater' or whatever they call it. I should make a list of all the things I want to do. In fact I'll do it now_

**All the things I want to do in the USA:**

Go to ComicCon

Eat food from a street vendor

Visit the Statue of Liberty

Run in Central Park before it's busy in the morning

Visit a film festival

Visit a movie theater

Pick up an accent

Tour a film set

Take part in a flash mob

Run around dressed as a zombie scaring people

Trick or Treat

Camp

Eat proper American food

_If there's anything else, I guess I'll add it on later. I'm really excited for tomorrow I just hope I don't get accused of being posh because that will just ruin the whole day for me. I have so much catching up to do. Their education system is so different than to what I'm used to. _

_Well I'm off to get all my school books ready then continue reading a book that my friend gave me. Please my first day at High school go okay, there's no reason for it not to...Is there?_

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**Author's Notes**

**Thanks to everyone who has read this. My updating should be getting more frequent now. Please don't be afraid to review, I'm open to all criticisms. And if you have any ideas that you'd like to see included then just message me with them and I'll try to fit them in somewhere.**

**Also sorry for the short chapter but it's more of a last minute update. I'll try to edit but my laptop keeps playing up.**


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